


That I Should Love a Bright Particular Star

by fuutenfantasy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Chinese Mythology - Freeform, First Kiss, Forests, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, M/M, RS Games 2015, Sappiness, Stargazing, the milky way - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-05-01 22:54:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5224094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuutenfantasy/pseuds/fuutenfantasy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Remus Lupin was in a peaceful sort of cocoon, relaxing into a semi-catatonic bliss, when chaos in the form of a sixteen-year-old boy with long black hair and merry gray eyes dropped into his lap.</p>
<p>Needless to say, book and tea went flying as Remus suddenly found himself with a lapful of Sirius Black."</p>
<p>Sirius convinces Remus to go out into the Forbidden Forest late at night to 'help him with Astronomy homework'.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That I Should Love a Bright Particular Star

Remus Lupin was quite comfortable. He was in his favorite spot, an overstuffed armchair the perfect distance from the Gryffindor common room fire, with his feet propped up on an equally overstuffed ottoman. Add in the book on his lap and the cup of tea in his hand, and it was as close to werewolf Nirvana as he would ever get. He blew a stray lock of hair out of his eyes and turned the page of his book, listening with a distant sort of happiness to the crackle of the fire and the low chatter of his fellow Gryffindors around him. He was in a peaceful sort of cocoon,  relaxing into a semi-catatonic bliss, when chaos in the form of a sixteen-year-old boy with long black hair and merry gray eyes dropped into his lap.

Needless to say, book and tea went flying as Remus suddenly found himself with a lapful of Sirius Black.

“Moony!” Sirius cried, delighted. “What a spot of luck finding you here!”

“Luck, he says,” Remus grumbled, shifting his legs around underneath Sirius's weight in a futile effort to regain feeling in his knees. “I think you broke my legs, you heavy sod.”

“I was just dropping in to ask you for a wee favor,” Sirius continued unperturbed. He threw an arm around Remus's neck, pulling himself closer until they were nose to nose. “What say you?”

“I – I can hardly say aye or nay until you tell me what the favor is,” Remus protested. Sirius's eyes were huge and gray and Remus felt like he was falling into them.

“Well, Remus my duck, I've got a sticky sort of problem. Alas, you are the only one I can turn to in my hour of need.” Sirius pulled his face away and reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a bedraggled piece of parchment. He unfolded it, perching primly on Remus's knees the whole time, and read it aloud.

“Assignment: chart the course of three celestial bodies over the course of four hours. Write a report on their movements – no less than twelve inches. Due Monday morning.” Sirius glanced over at Remus. “From the ever-studious Professor Sinistra.”

“Seems straightforward enough,” Remus pointed out. “What do you need me for? Why tonight, even? Why not procrastinate in the great Marauder tradition?”

“You don't procrastinate,” Sirius countered. “You have all your homework done practically the first day of school.”

“But you do,” Remus responded. “And get top marks, might I add. So I repeat – why me, and why tonight?”

“And my answer to both is, why not?” Sirius grinned, and climbed off of Remus's lap. “In all honesty, though: tomorrow night I have detention. Sunday I have other homework to finish. Tonight is it as far as Astronomy is concerned.” Sirius held out a hand to Remus. “And why you? Because it's always more fun with a friend.” He smile was wry. Remus hesitated, then took Sirius's hand and let the other boy pull him to his feet.

“Let's be off, then,” Remus said with a grin. “I'll need to grab my cloak first, though.”

“Splendid!” Sirius squeezed Remus hand and then dropped it. “I'll just wait here, then,” he said as he plopped himself down in what had been Remus's comfy chair. Remus just chuckled and headed towards the boy's dormitory.

He didn't let himself think about the way Sirius had squeezed his hand so briefly.

***

Remus put on three of his jumpers as a precaution against the cold. The Astronomy Tower picked up a great deal of wind, and he got chilled fast. Jumpers, mittens, and his heaviest cloak on, he felt ready to face the beautiful enigma of Sirius Black. James was lying on his belly across his bed, perusing a Quidditch magazine. He gave Remus a strange look when he saw all the layers, but didn't say anything. Finally dressed and ready, Remus was halfway out the door when he spun around.

“Prongs, where's the Map?”

James gestured towards Sirius's bed without looking up from the article he was reading. “Under there, I should think.”

“Ta,” said Remus, and dropped to his knees to retrieve the Map. He found it underneath Sirius's bed, amidst a pile of old parchment and Droobles Best Blowing Gum wrappers. With the Map tucked into his pocket, he finally turned to go.

“Where are you off to, then?” asked James, rolling onto his back and taking his glasses off to clean them.

“The Astronomy Tower, apparently,” replied Remus. “Sirius seems to have left his Astronomy homework a bit late and needs a friend for stargazing, who knows why.”

James dropped his glasses on his face mid-clean. He spluttered and grabbed them again, rubbing his eye where one of the earpieces had poked him. Remus snorted and shook his head.

“I can see why you're a top Quidditch player, Prongs. Lightning-fast reflexes.” James tossed him a dirty look as he fixed his glasses back onto his face. His head was hanging a bit over the edge of the bed, and he stared at Remus from his upside down position.

“You sure it's the Astronomy Tower you're headed to, mate?”

Remus shrugged. “Where else?”

James cleared his throat as if about to say something, but changed his mind and resettled his glasses on his face. He rolled back over onto his stomach and re-opened his magazine.

“Have fun, Moony!” he called with a smile as Remus exited the dormitory. “I bet you will,” he muttered under his breath, still smiling a little.

***

It took him twenty-six seconds to descend the stairs to the common room. Remus spent twenty-five of those seconds giving himself firm orders:

Do not stare at Sirius. Do not flirt with Sirius, no matter how much he jokingly flirts with you. No accidental physical contact or you might explode with pent-up sexual tension. You've been dealing with this sodding infatuation for a few years now, Lupin. You can handle a night alone in the Astronomy Tower. Buck up.

Sirius met him at the foot of the stairs, wrapped in a thick woolen cloak with his bag slung over his shoulder. He grinned when he saw the top of the Map sticking out of Remus's pocket, and clapped him on the back.

“Capital! Shall we?” He extended an elbow towards Remus, as if to escort him to the portrait hole. Remus raised an eyebrow and made his way out of the Common Room, Sirius close behind.

The hall outside the Common Room was dark and silent. The portrait of the Fat Lady raised an eyebrow when she saw them.

“A bit late for you lads, isn't it?” she pointed out. Sirius shrugged and did his best to look innocent.

“Some important Astronomy homework, it simply can't wait.” The Fat Lady shook her finger at the both of them.

“No shenanigans, mind.” Remus smiled his best Prefect smile at her.

“Shenanigans? Us? Perish the thought!” and they made their way down the hall to the sound of her chuckles.

They turned a few corners, checking the Map on occasion, and they reached the corridor outside the Great Hall. Remus made to go left, towards the Astronomy Tower, but Sirius caught his elbow.

“Where are you off to?” he asked, re-shouldering his bag.

“The Astronomy Tower, I thought,” answered Remus. “Your homework? The whole reason we're out here tonight?”

Sirius nodded. “Yes, the Astronomy Tower would work, I suppose...” he grinned and linked his arm through Remus's. “But I know somewhere better.” 

He pulled Remus to a small stone alcove next to the huge front doors. They had to squish together to both fit inside the alcove, and Remus found himself with his arm trapped between their two torsos and his nose buried in Sirius's hair. He smelled like springtime, like Quidditch grass and the sun. It took all Remus's considerable willpower not to melt into a puddle. His whole body was humming like a guitar string with the apprehension of being so close to Sirius. Fists clenched, Remus managed to ask in a surprisingly calm voice,

“What now, Padfoot?” Sirius smiled – Merlin help him, Remus could feel the smile against his collarbone – and held up three fingers. He put one down, then another, and when he folded down the final finger a trapdoor opened up beneath them and they went rocketing down a stone slide into pitch darkness.

***

It was almost embarrassing how quickly he'd wrapped his arms around Sirius as they went pell-mell around the twists and turns of the stone tunnel. The second they'd started to drop Remus had clung to Sirius like a barnacle to a rock – partly from fear and shock, but partly because he might as well while he had the chance.

After what seemed like a decade going top speed through complete darkness, the tunnel spat them out onto a patch of grass. It closed behind them with a haughty thump. Remus just closed his eyes for a second, trying to stop the world from spinning . He eventually felt brave enough to open one eye, and found out he was lying on the ground in the open air, with Sirius's face very close to his own.

“Padfoot...” Remus whispered. Sirius's cheeks seemed to turn pink, though in the faint silvery light from the moon it was hard to tell.

“Yes?” he answered.

“What in the bloody fucking hell was that?” Sirius threw his head back and laughed, disentangling himself from Remus in the process. He stood up, still chuckling, and helped Remus to his feet.

“I've been hearing rumors about that passageway for years,” he said, tucking his long black hair behind his ears, “but never could get it to work. Finally the Fat Friar tipped me off yesterday – it only works for two people at once. Figured this was an excellent time to test it out.”

“Could have given a chap some warning,” grumbled Remus, straightening his clothing and patting down the wild mess of his hair. “If I were a were-cat, I'd have lost at least two of my lives.”

“What a splendid thing you're not, then,” replied Sirius. “I'm allergic to cats. Come on, let's get going.” He started down the hill towards the Forbidden Forest.

“Where exactly are we going?” called Remus as he hurried to keep up.

“I'll tell you when we get there.” Sirius stopped at the edge of the Forest and waited for Remus to catch up. There was a faint but definitely discernable path, leading off into the darkness of the trees.

“Not scared, are you?” teased Sirius. Remus just shook his head.

“When you're the most dangerous creature in the Forest, everything else tends to leave you alone.”

They started down the path, walking in companionable silence. Sirius was in front leading the way, which gave Remus an opportunity to break one of his rules and enjoy staring at Sirius. He walked with an easy stride, hands tucked deep into his pockets against the cold wind, looking back every now and again to grin at Remus in a heart-melting sort of way. It was this grin more than anything that kept him warm.

The path wound deeper into the forest, narrow and overgrown with brush but never quite disappearing completely. Trees arched up and away into the darkness, the branches and leaves a woven mat between them and the sky. Roots had fought their way across the path in places, causing them to watch their footing or trip. They both had their wands out, Lumos illuminating three feet of the path in front of them. Croaks, creaks, and the occasional rustle accompanied them on the path.

They walked for some time, periods of comfortable silence punctuated by small snatches of conversation. Sirius led, because he was the only one who knew where they were going. This gave Remus ample time to let his mind (and his eyes, if he was being honest) drift over the enigma that was Sirius Black.

Sirius Black, whose very first interaction with him first year had been “Hello, I'm Sirius! We're going to be friends, I've just decided.” Sirius Black, who'd watched Remus with those stormy grey eyes for nearly all of second year to figure out his secret. Who'd grabbed Remus and hugged him to keep him from running away. Who'd promised to keep it a secret, eyes as solemn as an owl with James and Peter by his side. Sirius, who'd worked with dedication for three years to become an Animagi, just so Remus wouldn't be alone. Sirius, who'd always accepted Remus's quirks and fancies with a carefree grin. It was the same when Remus had finally come out to the other Marauders late one night. James had been a little startled but accepting. Peter had asked a never-ending series of clarifying questions - “but how do you know for sure, Moony?” “What's it like, kissing a bloke?” “What happens when you both... you know?” - until cuffed around the ear by James. But Sirius? Sirius had just slung his arm around Remus's shoulders and told him, “You're still the same Moony we know and love. Just because we didn't know about it until now doesn't mean you've changed.” Remus had blushed fiercely, partly from the sentiments expressed and partly from the sudden closeness and warmth radiating off the other boy.

Sirius.

It was hard to pinpoint exactly when Remus had fallen for Sirius. How do you discern childish adoration from the deep well of love? It was like leaving the Earth's atmosphere – you rise up and up, through the air, past clouds and birds and thunderstorms. Onward and upward as the air gets thinner, until you pass the ozone layer and you're in orbit. Loving Sirius Black was like falling through space, freewheeling amongst the stars with no gravity to hold you down. All you could do was close your eyes and hope you didn't burn up in the sun.

He was so lost in thought, Remus didn't realize Sirius stopped until he walked straight into him and they both crashed to the ground. They rolled around on the grass, trying to extricate themselves from the tangled mess they'd become. Remus finally unhooked his foot from a loop of Sirius's cloak and pushed himself to his feet, readjusting his various woolen layers. When he looked up from his jumpers, his jaw dropped.

They were standing in the middle of a small, round clearing. The grass beneath his feet was short and soft, blanketing the ground with softness, green in the light of their wands and grey in the dark of the night. One solitary tree stood in the center of the clearing, branches like fingers stretching towards the sky. There was a stillness, a silence about the place that felt welcoming. The air smelled like sweet summer grass and jasmine, filled with the promise of beauty in the morning. It was dark here, deep in the quiet heart of the Forbidden Forest, but between the waning moon and their wands there was an ethereal glow that was enough to see by. 

After a long moment of staring in total shock at the oasis in front of him, Remus soon became aware of Sirius staring at him, hands twisting the hem of his cloak. Bits of black hair had fallen out of the elastic holding it back, and were twisting at the side of his face. He looked uncharacteristically nervous.

“Well?” Sirius said finally, breaking the silence. “What do you think?”

 "What do I think?" Remus repeated, taking a few tentative steps into the clearing. "What do I think, he asks, as I look around the most gorgeous bit of land I've ever seen." Remus turned to look at Sirius, wonder written all over his face. "Sirius, I love it."

Sirius lit up like a firefly and strode into the clearing, throwing his things down at the base of the center tree with a huge grin on his face. He dug around in his bag for a moment and finally produced a large clumsily wrapped package, grease spotting the brown paper. With his other hand he shook out a large blanket, setting the package in the center as if he were giving it pride of place. Soon followed a thermos of what turned out to be hot Butterbeer, two glasses, a second thermos of tea, and finally several ragged scrolls of parchment and a quill. A wave of Sirius's wand unwrapped the center package, revealing a large roast chicken and a loaf of fresh-baked bread, steam still wafting up from the hot food.

"This is quite a spread, Padfoot," commented Remus, as he took a seat next to the veritable feast. Sirius flopped down on the other side of the food with much less grace, grinning as he shook his hair back from his face.

"I wouldn't drag you all the way out here without nourishment, Moony." He held up the bread. "Fancy a sandwich?"

They busied themselves with food for a while, talking of this and that and nothing in particular. Their conversation was easy and affectionate, lulling Remus into a pleasant glow of happiness. It wasn't until Sirius passed Remus a glass of Butterbeer with a strange half-smile on his face that it dawned on the werewolf why this all felt so strange and wonderful.

 If you were a girl, this would have all the hallmarks of a date, a small voice in the back of Remus's head said. A bloody romantic one, at that.

Remus choked on his Butterbeer at this revelation. In a flash Sirius was at his side, patting him briskly on the back while gripping his upper arm.

"Steady on, Moony, you don’t need to breathe it," he joked, patting Remus's back more gently as he coughed the last of the Butterbeer out of his lungs. Remus wiped a hand across his forehead, hoping against that the bright red flush of his cheeks could be blamed on this near-drowning experience and not on his treacherous brain.

He wiped his mouth with a corner of his cloak and straightened up. "Thanks, mate. I'm okay now."

Sirius let go of his arm but kept his hand on Remus's back. He could feel it there, burning hot through three layers of wool. "Are you sure, Moony?" he asked. "That sounded rough."

"I promise if I feel myself choking again I will let you know," Remus responded. "Now, don't you have homework?"

Sirius snorted, finally removing his hand from Remus's back. "Leave it to you to remember the homework."

"That is why we're out here, isn't it?" Remus shot back with a smile of his own.

"What if I just wanted to wine and dine you, and the homework was the only excuse that could entice you out of the common room?" Sirius asked.

"Ah yes, the sheer romance of a speed run through a dark stone tunnel," Remus quipped. "No wonder you're such a lady's man."

"You enjoy it, though." Sirius winked at him and unrolled a piece of parchment. "I live to entertain you, Moons."

Remus gave the other boy a small shove but didn't say anything. While they were out here, in the dark of the Forest, in the middle of this perfect clearing, he could pretend all these things Sirius was saying were true. He could sit here, arms wrapped around his knees and thigh pressing against his best friend, and imagine that they really were on a date. If he closed his eyes and ignored the scritch-scratch of Sirius's quill, he could let himself enjoy the close contact he always craved but never got.

He could sit still, for just a moment, and pretend that everything he wanted was real.

They sat that way for an hour or so, one or the other occasionally changing position but always remaining pressed together. Sirius completed his rough diagram of the night sky and squinted up into the blackness, labelling two stars and the moon. This made Remus chuckle to himself - ever since the Marauders had discovered Remus's 'furry little problem,' Sirius had made sure to include the moon on every Astronomy assignment in one form or another. If he couldn't include in the body of the assignment itself, he would doodle it on the margins. "It's an homage to you, Moony!" he had said cheerfully when Remus asked him about it in their third year. "'Sides, I need to understand it if one of my best mates lives his life on the lunar calendar." Blushing but secretly delighted, Remus hadn't said another word about it.

With his base chart completed, Sirius placed it to one side and threw himself back, arching his back up in an obscene stretch that made Remus avert his eyes.

"The hard part is done, Moony!" Sirius announced, eyes closed. "Now I just need to mark their movements over the next three hours and we can go back inside."

"It's a good thing we don't have class tomorrow," Remus said, leaning back on his elbows. "We're going to be out late."

"We're hale and hearty young men, we can handle a late night or two." Sirius laced his fingers behind his head and opened his eyes, staring up into the heavens. The sky was spangled with stars, and the Milky Way stretched like a rippling river across the sky. The trees were stark shadows outlined against the million points of light above them, like paper cutouts in a frame. The wind had died away, and the air was still. Only the occasional cricket chirping broke the textured quiet.

"Which celestial bodies did you end up choosing?" Remus asked, reaching over Sirius for the thermos of tea. If they were going to be out here for a few hours, he needed to fortify.

"Altair and Vega," came the response. "And the moon, of course,  but I assume you already knew that." Remus nodded.

"My mum used to tell me this great story about Altair and Vega," said Remus after a few minutes. "Well, more of a myth," he amended.

"Really?" said Sirius, pushing himself up on his elbows. "Go on, then."

"What? Er, okay." Remus shifted around, a little embarrassed now. "It's a Chinese myth on why the Milky Way was created. Mum did a minor in Chinese Literature at university, so she's full of odd stories."

"I want to hear it." A hand reached up and tugged Remus's sleeve, pulling him down to the ground. "I can hear you better this way," said Sirius, his face suddenly six inches away from Remus's own. He was lying on his side, one arm tucked under his head, wide grey eyes ready for a story. Despite his heartbeat doubling and his insides twisting around together, Remus managed a grin.

"You look about six," he snorted. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"Don't care. Just tell it."

Remus flipped onto his back, figuring it would be easier to tell the story if he wasn't drowning in Sirius's eyes.

"Keep in mind I might be totally cocking this up," he warned. "It's been years since I've heard this story." He settled himself more comfortably on the blanket and wrapped his cloak around him for warmth.

"Right, said Remus, "this is the story of the cowherd and the seventh daughter of the Goddess. A long time ago, before written history, a simple human cowherd was tending to his cows when he came across a beautiful fairy girl in his fields. The cowherd - Niu Lang - fell in love with this gorgeous girl - Zhi Nu - , who had just escaped from her boring life in Heaven to look for some fun. She fell in love with Niu Lang as well and they got married, without the Goddess's approval. They set up a simple, happy life together, Niu Lang tending to his cows and Zhi Nu weaving beautifully colored cloths."

"I thought this story was about Altair and Vega," commented Sirius, poking Remus in the ribs. Remus grabbed the offending finger without thinking about it and held it still before it could inflict any more damage.

"Enough of that," he chided his friend. "Do you want to hear this or not?" The finger immediately stopped trying to reach his ribs.

"Anyways, the two had a beautiful life together, and even had two children. Eventually, though, Zhi Nu's mother - the Goddess of Heaven - found out her daughter had dared married a mere mortal and ordered her back to Heaven. She wouldn't even let her say goodbye to her husband. Niu Lang was distraught without his wife, and went out into his fields to look for her. He was weeping, and this made his ox take pity on him and begin to talk. The ox described what had transpired and told him, 'If you kill me and put on my hide, you will be able to go up to Heaven and find your wife.'

"Still crying and overwrought with emotion, Niu Lang did just that. He killed the ox, put on its skin, gathered his two children into the folds, and flew up to Heaven to get back his wife. When the Goddess saw him, she was enraged beyond measure. She took one of her golden hairpins and scratched a wide river in the sky, keeping Niu Lang from reaching Zhi Nu. This became the Milky Way. Now the two lovers were destined to be forever apart." Remus took Sirius's hand, which he was still holding, and made it point up into the sky at Vega. "Zhi Nu, weaving clouds on her loom." He moved Sirius's hand to point at Altair. "Niu Lang and his two children."

Sirius was gazing up at the sky, utterly rapt. "How tragic," he murmured. "Don’t they ever get to see each other?"

"Once a year." Remus lowered their hands but still held on. His heart was thudding wildly again, but Sirius didn't seem to notice the continued contact. He felt like a thief, stealing intimate moments while Sirius's attention was elsewhere. "The force of their love inspired all the magpies in the world to take pity on them. So on the seventh night of the seventh moon, they all fly up and form a bridge so the two lovers can be together for a single night."

There was silence for a long moment. "My mom used to tell me that story at bedtime," he finally said, dropping Sirius's hand and reaching for the tea thermos again. "I had a great view of the Milky Way out my window since we were so far out in the country, and always used to ask her about it."

Sirius checked his watch and, sitting up, unrolled the parchment again He plotted the three new positions of his assignment with a few quick scratches of quill and turned back to Remus.

"Mate, that story was brilliant. All I used to get at bedtime was a lecture on behaving like a proper Black." He frowned. "Though I don't think the Goddess was being fair. Two people in love shouldn't be kept from each other, that's just wrong."

"She's a goddess, Padfoot, she doesn't have to be fair. Besides, she was angry because her daughter fell in love with a mortal." Remus put the thermos aside and sighed. "Can you imagine what we must look like to the gods? Rude, shambling rough creatures that we are. It would have seemed like Zhinu loved a monster." He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "And I know a little something about monsters."

Sirius picked up the tea thermos and stared at it, rotating it in his hands. "I wish you wouldn't say that," he sighed.

"Say what?" asked Remus.

"That you're a monster. You're not, not at all."

This made Remus laugh. "I'm in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Pads, and in The Monster Book of Monsters. I think that qualifies me."

"That's just the werewolf bit, not you as a whole."

"It's a rather large bit."

"You're not a monster, Moony," Sirius repeated. "No one thinks that." Remus just rubbed the bridge of his nose with one mittened hand.

"You do know I'm not allowed to marry, right? I'm not even supposed to get in a relationship."

"What?" Sirius's mouth fell open. "Says who?"

"The Ministry, wizarding society, my parents…" Remus shrugged. "There's a long list."

"That's utter bollocks, mate. Utter, sodding bollocks. You deserve love as much as that Niu Lang bloke!"

Remus turned away from the intensity of Sirius's feelings. It was like staring into the sun. He picked up a chunk of bread and stared at it moodily.

"It doesn't matter, anyhow. No one's going to want to date a werewolf. I can't expect a relationship with the truth, and I refuse to start one with a lie."

He could feel Sirius's grey eyes burning a hole in the side of his head.

"Never say never," said Sirius, his voice soft. Remus's heart broke all over again, as it had every day since he'd so unwisely fallen in love.

"It's fine, Sirius, I promise." He tried to smile. "Besides, a relationship is the least of my worries. My life is going to get rather… interesting… in the next few years."

"You worry too much, Moony." said Sirius with a laugh that sounded fake. "Everything's going to be fine. It's fine now, yeah?"

Remus felt himself getting irritated with the other boy.

"I'm just being realistic, Sirius. Yes, everything is fine here at Hogwarts, while we are in school. What about the real world? Who is going to hire me, knowing I have to take off three days every month to transform into a vicious killing machine? When I'm at the Ministry to check in with the werewolf registry, you should see the looks I get. I disgust people. And not only am I a werewolf, I'm a sodding queer. Society hates me at every turn. Right now, in Great Britain, I could be arrested for being a homosexual. And that's the Muggles - wizarding society is two centuries behind the Muggles in everything. Attitudes are hardly welcoming." Remus pushed himself to his feet, hands balled into fists. "Don't tell me everything is fine when it's not." He strode away until he reached the tree in the center of the clearing. Leaning his forehead on the smooth bark, he could smell the moss on the trunk - a musty book smell. 

A gentle hand, feather-light, landed on his back. It stayed there, light as a butterfly.

"I'm sorry." Sirius's voice came out of the darkness behind him. "I didn't mean to trivialize your problems. I know you've got too much to deal with. I don't know how you do it, I honestly don't. You've got so much on your shoulders, and yet you don't let it break you. You stand tall in the face of the future. But there is one thing I will not apologize for. You are deserving of love, no matter how you see yourself, and I refuse to say otherwise."

The hand on his back took him by the shoulder and turned him around. Remus found himself with his back against the tree and Sirius looking him in the eyes. He was a few inches shorter than Remus so he had to lift his chin up, but the gaze was just as penetrating. His hair hung like a curtain around his face,  and his eyes were full of feelings and complexities.

"Every day I listen to your self-deprecation. I hear you brush past compliments and downplay your intelligence, and I'm sick of it. Don't you realize how amazing you are? You're the top student in our class and you bloody work for it, up at all hours with a book in your hand trying to be better, do better. You're brilliant." Sirius swiped a hand across his own forehead, pushing the hair out of his eyes. "And mate, don't you realize how gorgeous you are? One look from you, one smile, and half of Hogwarts would fall over faint. Tall, dark and handsome, that's you, and with an arse that won't quit." Sirius flashed a grin. "Believe me, I've looked."

He took both of Remus's hands in his and squeezed them. "You've got more potential and more drive than anyone I've ever known, and you have the biggest heart. So don't you dare sit here and tell me you don't deserve love. Yeah, you're a werewolf, but that's only a small part of you. You're so much more."

Remus was frozen, leaning against the tree with Sirius holding both of his hands. His heart was off to the races again, and he felt the old familiar mix of panic and desire twisting in his stomach. This time, though, they had a friend - a bare thread of hope was squirming in there with them.

"Sirius…?" Their faces were so close.

"Just - just shut up, Remus," Sirius whispered, and leaned in. Their lips met, and Remus's eyes fluttered closed.

He'd kissed before and liked it fine, but this was different. This was heat lightning, a thunderstorm of emotion. This was cresting the top of a hill on a roller coaster, and screaming the whole way down. This was being onstage during the 1812 Overture, with cannons firing all around. This was, to be cliché… fireworks.

Sirius's lips were warm and chapped against his. Remus tilted his head almost by instinct, searching for more contact. He disentangled his hands and gently threaded one through Sirius's hair, placing the other on the side of Sirius's face. He felt the other boy chuckle against his mouth and felt hands on his face and the back of his neck.

He couldn't remember which one of them parted their lips first, but it was a series of explosions all over again as their tongues met. Remus's entire body was a taut, thrumming string, run through with the searing fire that was Sirius Black. The chill in the night's air was forgotten, the extra jumpers unnecessary. He drank heat and light and warmth from Sirius, and gave the same in return.

When finally they had to pull apart or faint from lack of air, Remus felt a flash of desire at how beautiful Sirius looked after being thoroughly snogged. His lips were parted and swollen, his eyelids heavy and his hair a mess.

"How long?" Remus rasped, then cleared his throat. "How long have you…"

"Fancied you?" finished Sirius, his voice just as coarse. "A year and a half, give or take a month. Took me a while to get out of my own way."

"No kidding. We could have been doing this for ages."

"And you? How long have you been pining?" Remus swatted him.

"Dunno. A while. At least a few years." Sirius gave a low whistle.

"And you talk about me taking my time." He took Remus by the hand and led him back to the blanket, where they sank down together. Sirius glanced up at the sky and charted the latest positions of his assignment. Feeling shy now, Remus slowly leaned against Sirius, ready to pull back at the slightest notice. Sirius just wrapped one of his arms around Remus and pulled him closer, nestling his head on the other boy's shoulder. Remus buried his face in Sirius's hair and felt his heart soar. He could smell grass, shampoo, and a sweet, cinnamon-spicy scent that belonged to Sirius alone.

"How much longer to you have to watch the skies?" he asked, his mouth moving against Sirius's scalp. He felt the other boy shiver and grinned.

"Two hours," came the answer.

Remus laid back down on the blanket and pulled Sirius with him. They ended up wrapped around each other, Sirius's head on Remus's chest, giddy with the power to finally touch and hug and feel to their hearts content.

"Tell me something," said Remus, one hand gently playing with Sirius's hair. "Did you get me out here to help with your assignment or did you have ulterior motives?"

"The second one," agreed Sirius, tracing a trail down Remus's wool-clad chest. "Prongs finally got sick of me moping about the dormitory and kicked me out. He told me to do something about it or he wouldn't let me back into the dorm tonight."

This gave Remus pause. "So James knew why you were taking me out here?"

"'Course." He felt Sirius shrug. "Had to run my plan past him, didn't I?"

Remus thought back to when he was getting dressed in the dormitory earlier that night. He remembered James asking if he was sure it was the Astronomy Tower he was going to, and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Sirius demanded.

"Nothing, nothing," Remus chuckled. "Just something James said earlier that finally makes sense."

"I've got more interesting things for you to think about than James." Sirius's hand was worming its way under the jumpers, and Remus squirmed pleasurably.

"Oh really?" he challenged. Sirius rolled over on top of Remus and sat up, straddling his hips with a wicked grin. Remus felt a jolt go all the way from his stomach to his groin.

"Oh yes," Sirius confirmed, and leaned down to kiss Remus again. This wasn't the gentle, will-he-won't-he kiss of earlier. This was power and heat and lust. Sirius kissed like he was born to do it, tracing the inside of Remus's mouth with flicks of his tongue. He had one hand tangled in Remus's hair and the other on the ground for support, and soon he started moving his hips in a subtle rolling motion that was doing an excellent job of driving Remus crazy. He moaned against Sirius's lips and felt his own hips start matching each move, desperate for more contact. The hand in Remus's hair made its way to the hem of his jumpers, pushing past them and past Remus's shirt to start caressing sweat-slick skin. His touch felt like stars coming to earth.

The wild, dizzying motion of Sirius's hips suddenly stopped, and Remus opened his eyes to see Sirius staring at him. The pupils of his grey eyes had blown wide with lust, and Remus could see the Milky Way spilling across the sky behind Sirius's head like a painting. The sight made his heart want to burst out of his chest.

"Moony, I…" Sirius took one of Remus's hands and laced their fingers together. "Merlin, I've wanted this for so long - wanted you for so long. But I just want to make sure we're not going, well… too fast."

Remus responded by placing his hands on either side of Sirius's waist and looking him in the eyes.

"Padfoot… I have dreamed about this… time and time again… for the past several years." He punctuated each pause with a slow roll of his hips against Sirius's. "For the love of Merlin… do not stop now."

He'd barely gotten the sentence out before Sirius attacked with abandon, not just rolling his hips this time but full-on grinding. A delicious friction was building between them and Remus knew he was close. He wrapped his arms around Sirius's shoulders and pulled him close, thrusting hard and almost delirious with desire.

Remus could feel Sirius's breath against his ear, hot and quick and panting. Suddenly his whole body stiffened and he let out a breathy, "Oh gods, Remus…"

The sound of his name on Sirius's lips was his undoing, and Remus lost his grip on the darkness and fell headfirst into a bright burst of light. His mouth opened in a soundless scream and his body arched against Sirius's for a final dizzying moment before flopping back down onto the blanket. Sirius slid most of the way off him, staying wrapped around him like a barnacle on a rock.

Remus would have been content to just lay here for the next hour with Sirius contentedly nuzzling his neck, but soon the sticky wetness in his pants became too irksome to ignore. Shrugging his way out from underneath Sirius with no small amount of regret, Remus grabbed his wand and cast a quiet Cleaning Charm on himself and Sirius. He was rewarded with a quick grin and a "Cheers, Moony." Remus lay back down next to Sirius and took his hand, staring up at the stars. He saw Altair and Vega, the cowherd and the goddess's daughter, staring longingly at each other from across the river of the Milky Way.

"When is it?" asked Sirius. Remus glanced over at him.

"When is what?"

Sirius pointed up into the sky. "The seventh night of the seventh moon, or whenever it is the two can be together."

"Dunno, really. The Chinese calendar is a bit different than ours, so sometime in August I think."

"A pity. But at least they get to see each other at all - on the whole, it could have been worse." Sirius checked his watch. "Hmm, another fifteen minutes or so."

"How much longer?" asked Remus.

"A bit over an hour," came the response. "You all right?"

"Never better," responded Remus, meaning every word. "So Prongs knew you fancied me?"

"I tell James everything, Moony. I had to have someone help me sort out all my feelings, and I certainly couldn't have come to you."

"Fair dues." Remus was silent for a while. "So he won't be surprised when he finds us snogging all over the castle?"

"More likely he'd cheer us on." Sirius gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Might be a bit of a shock for poor old Wormy, but he'll manage."

They fell into silence and stared at the sky. Remus turned his gaze from the magnificent Milky Way to his old enemy the moon. It was in waning crescent tonight, a mere sliver of baleful white against the black canvas of the sky. Remus smirked up at the moon. You have no power over me tonight, for I am under the protection of the brightest star of them all.

He felt his eyes growing heavy, and rolled onto his side. He draped one arm over Sirius and closed his eyes, breathing deep and sighing.

"I'm just going to have a quick kip here, Padfoot."

"Go on then," said Sirius with an affectionate pat on Remus's head. "I'll stand guard and finish this blasted chart, you get some rest."

"Thanks, love," was Remus's sleepy response, and since his eyes were closed he couldn't see a sudden blush spill over Sirius's cheeks.

He was asleep before he could hear Sirius whisper, "sleep well, love."

He dreamed of dogs and wolves running together across the broad river of the Milky Way, carrying Niu Lang and Zhi Nu on their backs for a joyous and long overdue reunion.

He woke to see the first silvery threads of dawn appearing over the trees. Sirius was gazing down at him, a small smile on his lips.

"How long was I asleep?" Remus croaked.

"A few hours," said Sirius. "It's just about dawn. I tried to wake you up when I finished, but you just grunted at me and rolled over."

Remus couldn't help but laugh. "We should get back up to the castle before anyone notices we're gone," he said, and pushed himself to his feet with a groan. The weather had warmed considerably, and the clearing he'd come to think of as theirs was glowing in the pre-dawn light.

"I'm not looking forward to the long walk back to the castle," confessed Remus as he twisted his back, feeling several satisfying pops.

"I have a solution to that problem, as it happens." Sirius accompanied this by holding up a broom and grinning. "Accio'd it while you slept." He reached down and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Packed up during the night, too." He slung a leg over the broom and wiggled his eyebrows at Remus. "Fancy the front or the back?"

"You daft sod," said Remus with love, and mounted the broom behind Sirius.

"Say goodbye to Magpie Grove!" called Sirius as the broom started to move.

"Magpie Grove?" asked Remus, calling over the wind rushing past them.

"Yeah, like in the story! The magpies brought Niu Lang and Zhi Nu together, and that clearing brought us together. And everything needs a name!" Sirius leaned forward to pick up speed, and Remus gripped him tight.

"I don't think we need to tell the others about this place," he called. Sirius turned back to look at him, and the expression on his face was tender and beautiful.

"No, we don't. It's ours." And with that they burst out of the Forbidden Forest, headed for Hogwarts and home.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2015 RS Games on Livejournal. The prompt was a gorgeous picture of the Milky Way as seen in the middle of a forest.
> 
> I had so much fun writing this fic, and I am terribly excited to share it with you all!
> 
> <3


End file.
